President Rodrigo Duterte cast his vote for this year’s national and local elections in his hometown of Davao City as he joined this year’s candidates among an estimated 63 million Filipinos who exercised their right to vote on Monday.
Duterte arrived at polling precinct 124B at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City at 4:41 p.m. He thanked his townmates “wholeheartedly” for electing him as the country’s 16th President.
He then promised he would remain their “sulugoon” (servant in Bisaya) when he steps down from office on June 30.
Among presidential candidates, Sen. Panfilo Lacson was the first to cast his vote for the day, at around 7:30 a.m. at the Bayan Luma 1 Elementary School in his hometown of Imus, Cavite.
Former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has led all presidential surveys leading into Election Day, arrived at 8 a.m. at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac, Ilocos Norte to cast his vote.
Vice President Leni Robredo, trailing Marcos in all major surveys, cast her vote in Magarao, Camarines Sur. She waited in line for almost two hours before turning in her ballot at Carangcang Elementary School in her home province.
Another presidential aspirant, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, cast his vote just before noon at the Kiamba Central School SPED Center in Kiamba, Sarangani.
At around the same time, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso lined up in his polling precinct at the Magat Salamat Elementary School at 11:02 a.m. and completed the voting process in less than 15 minutes.
Labor leader Leody de Guzman cast his vote at Cainta Elementary School’s Precinct Number 0033A.
Among vice presidential bets, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, running under the banner of LAKAS-Christian Muslim Democrats and Hugpong ng Pagbabago, arrived at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School with her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, at 9:15 a.m.
The VP frontrunner cast her vote at Precinct 1245A the same place where her father would vote later in the day.
One of her rivals, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, voted in Barangay White Plains, Quezon City. Accompanied by his wife, actress Helen Gamboa, Lacson’s running mate only took three minutes to cast his vote at the White Plains Covered Court after 10 a.m.
Robredo’s running mate, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, was able to cast his vote at 2:14 p.m. at the Inchican Elementary School, in Silang, Cavite, where he currently lives.
House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez, the Marcos-Duterte tandem’s campaign manager, cast his vote at 11:45 a.m. Monday at V&G Memorial Elementary School in Barangay 96, Tacloban City.
Romualdez, who is vying for his second term, is running unopposed.
His wife, Tingog Party-list Rep Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, cast her vote at the same school at 8:30 a.m., at precinct number 0840B, room 205.
Majority Leader Romualdez echoed the UniTeam’s call for the protection of votes in the May 9 polls.
“Going out to cast votes is just one part of our sacred duty. Now, we must remain vigilant and ensure that all of the votes get counted, up to the very last one. This is the only way to protect the integrity of the electoral process,” Romualdez said.
“Ang botohang ito ay para sa magandang kinabukasan ng mga Pilipino, isang kinabukasan na puno ng pagmamahal sa bayan at pagkakaisa,” added the Lakas-CMD president.
Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos arrived at about 9:10 a.m. at Precinct 0212-B in Cabeza Elementary School in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte in the elections that will determine President Duterte’s successor, half the Senate, as well as local government officials.
Other Marcos family members who cast their votes around 7:30 a.m. at Precinct 0036-A in Mariano Marcos Elementary School in Batac were her sons — incumbent Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc and lawyer Michael Marcos Manotoc — former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and sister Irene Marcos-Araneta.
Senator Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, urged all registered voters to exercise their constitutional right of suffrage that grants every Filipino from all walks of life the equal opportunity to choose the country’s next set of leaders.